I hope I am not bitter.
I hope I never criticize
The younger generation
Without first remembering
What it was like to be young.
I hope I am not bored,
Or disillusioned, or grumpy.
I hope I have exactly
As much money
As I have now
(under $1000).
I hope I don’t own
Any property
Or status symbols
Like a nice car.
I hope I still seek out
New music every day,
Write every day,
Care about art.
I hope,
By the time I am an old man,
That I have written books
And taught a lot of students
About writing.
I hope I have wisdom
And compassion
And an open mind
And heart.
I hope,
When I am an old man,
I can say with sincerity,
“I followed my dreams,
And I never gave up.”
This is me as a 52-year-old drug addict.
